NHS England Falls Behind on Target To Clear Waiting Lists
Recent data reveals a staggering increase in the number of patients on hospital waiting lists, reaching a record high of 7.3 million. This figure represents almost 3 million more than it was when compared to the pre-pandemic era.
Recent data reveals a staggering increase in the number of patients on hospital waiting lists, reaching a record high of 7.3 million. This figure represents almost 3 million more than it was when compared to the pre-pandemic era.
While waiting lists of over 18 months peaked in September 2021 at nearly 125,000, just over 10,700 were on that list at the end of March. However, according to NHS England, 4,000 of them were complex cases or patients who had chosen to wait despite being offered treatment. 50% of these people are treated in 10 NHS trusts.
NHS England had set a target to completely clear 18-month waits for planned care, such as knee and hip replacements, and to reduce 62-day cancer waits to levels before the pandemic. While NHS England says it has made giant progress, especially in routine care, Ministers have warned that numbers may only start falling by next spring.
Last spring a tumour was found on the kidney of 68-year old Phil Martlew from Merseyside. Doctors said the chance that it was cancerous was about 80%. Phil had a pre-op assessment within two months, but it was seven months before the tumour was finally removed in January 2023.
Phil noted that his treatment was exemplary but said the wait was enormously stressful. He mentioned that the wait placed a huge mental strain on him, especially with the everyday thought that the tumour may be cancerous.
She said "It's like the film Alien. I kept thinking that this thing's inside of me and I just wanted it out. All the medical staff who dealt with my care have been fabulous. I'm annoyed about the admin and management of it."
The NHS has come to say that it was not going to meet up with the earlier cancer targets of reducing the number of people waiting more than 62 days for treatment to pre-pandemic levels of 14,200. However, It has done a good job of reducing that number from almost 34,000 in September 2022, to over 19,200 at the end of March.
According to NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, the NHS has made "great strides" even as it is faced with "incredible pressure".
The NHS has in recent times had to deal with the impact of the industrial action embarked upon by nurses, junior doctors, physios, and ambulance workers, which have led to the postponement of more than 500,000 appointments and operations. This is in addition to cases of flu and Covid this winter.
Ms Pritchard said that there is still a lot of work to be done but adds that the NHS has done remarkably well given the challenges it has had to deal with.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "I promised I would cut NHS waiting lists and we are delivering. Reducing 18-month waits by over 90% is huge progress, and it is testament to the hard work of NHS staff who have achieved this despite one of the busiest winters on record."
The National Audit Office at the end of 2022, expressed concerns that there was serious risk of missing the target adding that understaffing and lack of hospital beds was affecting productivity. Consequently, the NHS is carrying out fewer planned treatments than the pre-pandemic times.
Tim Mitchell, from the Royal College of Surgeons of England, described the NHS failure to meet targets as "disappointing". While attesting that NHS staff were "doing the very best they could", he bemoaned the "chronic staff vacancies that impede the day-to-day running of the NHS".
He therefore encouraged Ministers to make public the plan to tackle NHS workforce issues which has been delayed for long.
Labour's shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has however said the government had broken its promise, which has left thousands of patients in pain and discomfort for an unacceptably long time.
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